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Connecting man to man to God! Week of Issue 169 CONNECTIONS is
the opt-in newsletter for the men & friends of Minister Frank Coleman. It's a periodic service that helps connect
you with God and with other men. If
you'd like its delivery to your email address stopped, scroll down and follow
the instructions at the end of this message.
Also let me know if you change your email address and want to keep
subscribing to CONNECTIONS. [Jesus said,]
"'You are the light of the world. Let your light shine before men, that
they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.'" Matthew 5:14-16 CONSIDER Hate is only power
to love misused. BRIDGE COLLAPSE CHALLENGES 'STABLE'
ASSUMPTIONS The On Aug. 1, an interstate bridge just blocks from the heart of http://www.albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=979 GLOCALIZATION: AN IDEA THAT MAY CHANGE
CONGREGATIONS We live in the
age of the flat earth, when we can not only communicate around the world, but
more Americans than ever have enough disposable income to travel the
world. Bob Roberts's idea is simple:
It assumes that the main players in overseas kingdom work are not trained
cross-cultural missionaries or NGO professionals, but laypeople who take
their current expertise (whether it be teaching,
plumbing, electronics, or so forth) and use it to serve people in other
nations. This revolutionary idea is
something Roberts's church, and a number of others, have started to live
out.... Read this interview in full at http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/july/30.42.html It appears that
most Americans have not thought much about the most pressing spiritual issues
they face. A national survey of
Christian parents conducted by the Barna Research Group looks at the personal
spiritual challenges parents identified:
4 out of every 10 Christian parents of children between the ages of 3
and 18 said they do not face any spiritual challenges in their life. Among those who identified the presence of
any spiritual challenges, the most common issues related to the spiritual
development of their children. When asked to
identify their biggest personal challenges related to faith or spirituality,
the most common response related to raising moral children or youngsters with
a strong faith. In total, 1 out of
every 7 parents (14%) who identified themselves as Christian listed this as
their spiritual challenge. Only one
other response -- the need to personally invest more time in religious
activities, such as reading the Bible or praying -- was mentioned by at least
1 out of every 10 parents (10%).
Overall, the responses suggest that most Christian parents do not
perceive themselves to face major challenges regarding their faith. "Our
studies show that the faith principles and practices that a child absorbs by
age thirteen boldly shapes their spirituality for the duration of their
life," says George Barna. "Parents
have a greater impact on that process than anyone else." Barna also expressed surprise that the
percentage of parents indicating such concern was so small. "This was a study exclusively of
Christian parents with young children in their household. Given companion surveys showing that such
parents often convey dismay over the eroding cultural environment for raising
children, and how difficult parenting is these days, we anticipated a broader
emphasis upon the challenges related to bringing up spiritually whole and
healthy children." Read this
report in full at http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdateNarrow&BarnaUpdateID=276 J.K. ROWLING REVEALS CHRISTIAN BASIS FOR
'HARRY POTTER' Participating in
a question-and-answer session on the NBC news magazine show Dateline July 29,
author J. K. Rowling was asked by a child in the studio audience what the
significance of her calling Harry Potter the "chosen one" might
be. "Well, there clearly is a
religious undertone," to the stories, Rowling said, who also said she is
a Christian. Taken as a whole, the
Harry Potter saga revolves round the distinctly Christian theme of substitutionary sacrifice of one's life, offered out of
love.... Read this in full at http://www.religiousintelligence.co.uk/news/?NewsID=915 Also see NBC
Dateline: "Author J.K. Rowling reveals her secrets"] http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20001720/ And
[Christianity Today: "Harry Potter 7 Is Matthew 6"] http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/augustweb-only/131-43.0.html UP AND COMING August 17-26 -
Little League World Series ( http://www.littleleague.org/worldseries_2007/index.html
'MANLY NIGHT' SERVES AS UNIQUE EVANGELISTIC EVENT Burgers,
motorcycles, a Super Bowl champion, a former player for the St. Louis
Cardinals and a marathon-running retired Army officer. No wonder they called
it "Manly Night."
"Manly Night" is an effort by West County Community Church
in Wildwood, Mo., to draw in men -- especially non-Christians -- and then
challenge them to live up to the ultimate example of manliness, Jesus Christ. "All of us
want to be treated as a real man, but it's amazing how often we can live in
selfishness and sin," said A motorcycle
stunt show by Brad Bennett and the chance to meet a few celebrities, namely
former St. Louis Cardinals catcher Mike Matheny and former St. Louis Rams
offensive tackle Grant Williams, helped bring in the crowd. It began with a
cookout, as each church member attending staked out a seat at a different
table, the remaining seats at each table being reserved for those he
invited. This way, each guest
attending was able to hear a testimony from a person he already knew, even
before the crowd of more than 300 shuffled into the auditorium for the main
program: testimonies by Bennett, Williams, Matheny and church member Mark Coomes. By the end
of the night, at least 20 had accepted Christ, with dozens more making other
decisions. http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=26156 LEADERSHIP TIPS (BUSINESS, FAMILY, LIFE) "The
decision to grow always involves a choice between risk and
comfort." John Ortberg VERSE TO PONDER "Do not merely
listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." James 1:22 CONSIDER "Forgiveness
is not an elective in the curriculum of life.
It is a required course, and the exams are always tough to
pass." Charles Swindoll HOW TO REALLY BUILD A 'GREAT SOCIETY' (Christianity
Today) Charles Colson: "Even Christians can succumb to the political
illusion that every problem has a political solution. Several years ago, a Christian leader
blurted: "I think we have been legislated out of the possibility of a
spiritual revival." Some
Christians seem almost defeatist when 'our' candidates lose. But the real evil of the illusion is that
it distracts us from other aspects of life".... Read this in full at http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/augustweb-only/131-43.0.html Also see The
Point: Q&A with Chuck Colson, Part IV of IV http://thepoint.breakpoint.org/2007/08/qa-with-chuck-3.html CHRISTIAN BOOK SUMMARY An extensive
online summary of the book Discipleship on the Edge: An Expository Journey
through the Book of Revelation by Darrell W. Johnson is now available. The book's message: The book of Revelation
powerfully presents the gospel of Jesus Christ. Although subject to a wide variety of
interpretations, it provides a compelling portrait of a Savior who maintains
complete control over the present and the future. No other book helps believers overcome
their fears and no other book explains the movement of history better than
Revelation. This book of the Bible
shows Christ-followers how to be genuine disciples in the midst of life's
harsh realities. Jesus calls us to be
disciples on the edge between this world and the next, and on the edge where
worldly kingdoms and God's kingdom clash.
See the summary at http://www.christianbooksummaries.com/ MISSION FIELD DANGEROUS FOR CHURCH
WORKERS The recent
Taliban kidnapping of South Korean Christian volunteers in http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12523044 THE 10 BEST HOME RUN HITTERS OF ALL TIME No matter that Babe
Ruth's lifetime total of 714 home runs, once a record, has been pushed down
to No. 3 all-time by Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds. The man who changed baseball forever by
out-homering entire teams, by compelling owners who
saw the drawing power of his homers to liven up the ball, and by pushing the
New York Yankees to such heights that the team built a new stadium perfectly
designed for his swing, is still the king of the long ball. For proof, look no further than this little
fact: Babe Ruth averaged 44 home runs per season from 1920 through 1934. Over
the same number of at-bats, the average American League player hit fewer than
six.... Read this in full at http://www.forbes.com/2007/07/05/baseball-hitters-ruth-biz-cx_tvr_0705sluggers.html NEW GENERATION EMBRACING ‘CRUNCHY
CATHOLICISM'? Along with a
conservative theological emphasis, there is a new stress on masculine
spirituality among seminarians and other educators in American Catholic
churches, according to the cover story in the conservative Crisis magazine
(July/August). Todd Aglialoro writes that a new generation
of Catholic men are rebelling against what they see as pastoral or
"feminine"-based catechesis and seminary formation that are soft on
the masculine virtues that have flourished in American Catholicism since
Vatican II. One of the major
influences in the masculine spirituality phenomenon in the church was the
late Pope John Paul II and his "theology of the body," which
stressed gender differences. The new
emphasis can be seen in popularity of Lionheart
Apparel, a men's clothing line featuring Christian symbols and slogans, such
as papal crucifixes, and Miraculous Medal tattoos. Meanwhile, the Houston-based family
ministry Paradisus Dei has established a rigorous
68-week program mining the "social and biological sciences in search of
a comprehensive vision of gender differences and roles--of what makes a man a
man..." http://www.crisismagazine.com/julaug2007/aglialoro.htm VACATION BIBLE SCHOOLS YOUR CHILD SHOULD
SKIP by David A.
Zimmerman & friends ~ Snakes in a
Church ~ Stepford Kids ~ Viva ~ Fun with
Scarlet Letters ~ Harry Potter
& the Memory Verse Scramble ~ Survivor: VBS ~ Fun with
C-Span ~ Let's Make Nikes! ~ Rocky ~ Baywatch
Junior ~ Death Before
Dishonor! ~ The Plagues of
~ You'll Eat It
and Like It! ~ Apocalypto the Musical THE WORD ON WATER Certainly,
bottled water is a convenience that helps us stay hydrated while on the
go. But convenience aside, bottled water
isn't necessarily more virtuous than tap water. In fact, did you know that bottled water is
sometimes nothing more than purified tap water? Fortunately, the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) has strict labeling rules for
bottled water, but it's up to you to learn the differences between various
terms and what they mean. There are 3
major types of bottled water: Purified water
is water that has been produced by distillation, deionization, reverse
osmosis, or other suitable processes. Purified water may also be referred to
as "demineralized water." Spring water is
water that flows naturally from the earth and is collected directly from its
natural source. Mineral water is
spring water that contains dissolved minerals and other trace elements (at
least 250 parts per million) that come directly from the source. In general,
safety standards for bottled water and tap water are the same with a few
exceptions. For example, because tap
water may become contaminated with lead as it travels through pipes, the
government limits the amount of lead in tap water to 15 parts per billion
whereas the limit is set below 5 parts per billion for bottled water. Another major difference is that tap water
is fluoridated, but most bottled waters do not contain fluoride. Most people can
safely (and inexpensively!) drink water straight from the tap. If you want to improve the taste of tap
water, you can purchase a water filtration pitcher, which reduces the amount
of chlorine in the tap water. If you
prefer the taste of bottled water and you're serving it to your family, let
your dentist know because young children require fluoride for healthy teeth. Finally, drink
when you're thirsty to stay sufficiently hydrated. Keep a bottle or glass of water nearby so
you can quench your thirst as needed. http://www.southbeachdiet.com/public/dailydish/dd_20070730.asp POWER IN NUMBERS Snowflakes are
some of nature's most fragile things, but just look what happens when they
stick together. CONSIDER "God giveth His wrath by weight, but His mercy without
measure." Thomas Fuller VERSE TO PONDER "The Lord
does not look at the things man looks at.
Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the
heart." 1 Samuel 16:7 THIS WEEK'S HYMN: REDEEMED, HOW I LOVE
TO PROCLAIM IT! Words: Fanny
Crosby, 1882 Music: William
J. Kirkpatrick Redeemed, how I
love to proclaim it! Redeemed by the
blood of the Lamb; Redeemed through
His infinite mercy, His child and
forever I am. Refrain Redeemed,
redeemed, Redeemed by the
blood of the Lamb; Redeemed,
redeemed, His child and
forever I am. Redeemed, and so
happy in Jesus, No language my
rapture can tell; I know that the
light of His presence With me doth
continually dwell. Refrain I think of my blessèd Redeemer, I think of Him
all the day long: I sing, for I
cannot be silent; His love is the
theme of my song. Refrain I know there's a
crown that is waiting, In yonder bright
mansion for me, And soon, with
the spirits made perfect, At home with the
Lord I shall be. Refrain >from
CyberHymnal at http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/r/e/redeemed.htm
The eyes of the
world will be on http://www.opendoorsusa.org/content/view/156
http://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/index.htm Satire:
Motivational Posters for the Emerging Church http://www.spurgeon.org/~phil/posters.htm
Min. Frank
Coleman, Editor Thanks for welcoming CONNECTIONS
into your in-box! We offer a variety of activities for
men to interact with other men on our journey of faith in Christ together.
Large group, small group, and one-to-one events encourage relationship
building and spiritual strengthening that result in maximizing the potential
we all have in Christ. Contact Min. Frank Coleman, 773-410-1483, [email protected] if you'd like to participate in a men's
discipleship program. Quick Links... · Start Your Domain Name Search Here · Visit my blog - comment & share your thoughts email: [email protected] phone: 1-773-410-1483 To subscribe to CONNECTIONS, send a message
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